“I don't mind if I only had one person. Even if the whole world hated me, I could keep living if that person needed me.” -Sakuta Azusagawa
Incredible. Absolutely frickin' incredible.
There is no doubt at all I enjoyed the heck out of Bunny Girl Senpai. Bunny Girl Senpai has so much to offer, whether it is an interesting story, likeable characters, captivating dialogue, sad moments, or just laughs. It is also really refreshing as it goes against many of your generic high school, romcom anime tropes to create an overall very enjoyable take on the genre as a whole. I am aware that Bunny Girl Senpai
...
might have some flaws, but, for my own sake, I managed to look past those just so I would be able to have a better time watching it. Despite the title and cover art, this is NOT about bunny girls! I repeat: this is NOT about bunny girls! Like anyone who has not read the novels prior to the airing of Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai or “Bunny Girl Senpai” for short, I too have fallen for the biggest clickbait of this anime season. However, I was not the least bit disappointed.
[spoilers ahead]
Story:
The plot of Bunny Girl Senpai follows our main protagonist Sukuta Azusagawa the “Buta Yarou” as he encounters several girls who all suffer from “puberty syndrome.” This fictional ailment is recognized as various supernatural phenomenon being associated with the different common challenges faced by teenagers. I thought this device was ingeniously used as an analogy to develop a more interesting storyline by characterizing the mental and social struggles the characters face with physical manifestation. For instance, upperclassman Mai Sakurajima, the poster girl of the series, meets Sakuta one day in a library wearing a bunny girl costume; hence, the title of the series. The purpose of dressing up as a bunny girl is to test if other can see her as she develops invisibility and her existence gradually fades from the memory of others due to her stress of being a famous model and her desire not be as known publicly. Despite all odds, Sakuta manages to rescue Mai in a way that would only suit him. While he was doing this, I couldn't help but cheer him on from like I would cheer on a Saturday morning cartoon hero as a kid. Go Sakuta! Rio Futaba, a classmate Sakuta often seeks for advice about puberty syndrome and explanations in terms of quantum physics, attributes Mai’s case to Schrödinger's cat since everyone but Sakuta failed to “look in the box” for Mai. I personally am not an expert on quantum physics myself, but I still did find Futaba’s justifications for the supernatural occurrences fascinating throughout the various character arcs.
Characters:
The chemistry (*looks at Futaba brewing coffee*) of the cast is undoubtedly my favorite aspect of the show. Sakuta deviates uniquely from the typical male lead of this genre by having blatantly no concern for what others think about him and being extremely candid including when making perverted remarks. I oftentimes find Sakuta’s remarks hilarious since they are not only very well-timed, but also demonstrate his mastery of sarcasm for the sake of joking around. In addition, I actually really like that Sakuta is not portrayed as a classic optimist as he himself shows that he is not a fan of clichés either. This is exemplified in one of the best moments in the show when he tells Futaba “It’s all right if you hate yourself” and “Living with such as positive attitude is so exhausting,” comforting her with his honesty and prompting Futaba to resolve her crisis. Despite his nonchalant demeanor, Sakuta genuinely does care for all of those around him as he goes above and beyond to helps them all through their struggles. Mai, *ahem* the best girl *ahem*, lives up to being Sakuta’s girlfriend by not only tolerating Sakuta’s straightforwardness, but also reciprocating with her own witty remarks to produce immensely engaging exchange of banter between the two. It was very interesting to watch Mai grow to trust and rely on someone like Sakuta. Even when he gets further involved with the other girls with puberty syndrome, it is highly satisfying that the romance between the two is still maintained. Underclassman Tomoe Koga’s adolescence syndrome originated from her desire to fit in with her peers and had the ability, attributed to Laplace’s Demon, to create simulated futures that may be rewound back in time if she did not desire the outcome. Since Sakuta’s younger sister Kaede also suffered from social pressures, he sympathized with Koga to the extent that he would pretend to be her boyfriend while teasing her frequently, much to the audience’s entertainment (canned peaches lol). Koga’s story was enjoyable since it is the first of many arcs that were based on a more relatable difficulty during adolescence. Due to quantum teleportation, Futaba split into two versions of herself that were a result of the dichotomy between her wanting attention, but not using her body to do so. It was exceptionally touching to witness Futaba as a stoic introvert being able to properly acknowledge her own feelings with Sakuta's guidance. Nodoka Toyohama, Mai’s half-sister, switched bodies with Mai as a result of Nodoka’s envy of Mai’s success. Sakuta again makes an inspirational effort to help others by alleviating Nadoka from her inferiority complex. At first glance, Kaede appears to just be a comedic, reclusive imouto that happened to experience puberty syndrome; however, it is revealed that her condition is much more complicated. With the help of her Onii-chan~, Kaede makes tremendous progress toward being able to go outside in her wholesome, powerful attempt to reintegrate with the world.
Art:
Although relatively recently establish, CloverWorks has done a pretty good job animating the few series I have watched from them. The animation is consistently good throughout the series as facial expressions and body gestures are effectively used well in portraying emotions or personalities. The opening and ending songs are especially nicely animated to capture the tone of the respective songs.
Sound:
“Kimi no Sei” by the peggies is a very exciting like many other openings and overall pretty catchy song. It was also interesting to see how small details were incorporated into the visuals like the titles of all of the novels being shuffled through. "Fukashigi no Carte” is, in my opinion, one of the best ending songs this season. It is quite creative that the vocals are performed individually for each one of the girls during their own story arc along with a change in visuals. The lyrics to both pieces were also great. The soundtrack is works well in conveying the appropriate emotions and give more meaning to certain scenes. The voice acting is also superb in communicating the intended personalities of the characters and bringing them to life, especially Sakuta played by Kaito Ishikawa. Fun fact: This is the same seiyu that plays Iida from Boku no Hero Academia and Kageyama from Haikyuu!!
Enjoyment:
Besides all the other points I made, I also really loved this show for the sheer entertainment value it provided. Each and every week I would look forward to the Wednesday evenings when I could catch another episode of Bunny Girl Senpai. And, man, it would feel like such a quick ~24 minutes every time. Although some might say may this shares similarities with other series, I still feel the uniqueness of it that allows me to enjoy it. I understand that others may not enjoy that this series resembles the Monogatari series; however, I still thoroughly enjoyed both since they both excelled at story telling and character development while one or the other still did well with other respective aspect. As a result, I do not see this necessarily as a "rip-off" but possible more of an "inspired work."
Overall:
If this series taught me anything, it is to not judge a book by its cover. After the last episode, I am going to miss this show, but I am still really looking forward to the upcoming movie about Shoko, the next focal character. Bunny Girl Senpai has cemented itself as one of my favorite anime of all time and I would definitely recommend it to anyone.
“My thoughts are a hundred times more lewd than what you’re imagining.” -Sakuta Azusagawa
Dec 28, 2018
“I don't mind if I only had one person. Even if the whole world hated me, I could keep living if that person needed me.” -Sakuta Azusagawa
Incredible. Absolutely frickin' incredible. There is no doubt at all I enjoyed the heck out of Bunny Girl Senpai. Bunny Girl Senpai has so much to offer, whether it is an interesting story, likeable characters, captivating dialogue, sad moments, or just laughs. It is also really refreshing as it goes against many of your generic high school, romcom anime tropes to create an overall very enjoyable take on the genre as a whole. I am aware that Bunny Girl Senpai ... |
